Final Frontiers
by Dewliet
Summary: Anka Fallon, a Weapons specialist from the Academy, is enlisted by Starfleet to join the crew upon the U.S.S. Enterprise. Given her hereditary flaws and quite unpleasant demeanour, Spock has his hands tied when it comes to dealing with her. [Spock/OC]
1. Imbeciles and Neanderthals

_Disclaimer: This story line was inspired by the 2009 film 'Star Trek', along with my lifelong love of Leonard Nimoy and Spock. All characters, with the exception of Anka Fallon (and minour original characters), are the sole property of Gene Roddenberry. I hadn't thought much of it when I began planning and sat down to write this story, so I have gone to and made sure that I did not copy any ideas, but alas, I am only human. Parts of my story I noticed shared similarities, but it was not significant and would affect my story drastically, so a month's worth of tweaking was done and this is the result. If you have any questions or requests for me to change anything, please let me know as it is deeply important to me. Plagiarism is a disease. Please do not steal/"borrow" this story in any shape, form, or fashion._

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**2258**

_The program had saved Commander Spock's very life, giving Anka even more displeasure at offering to install the specialized phaser software in Sulu's console, shortly before they had departed to Vulcan. It was last minute, the U.S.S. Constellation was waiting on her, an apparent uprise of an Aldean colony that was forcing Starfleet's hand in the matter, dictated their presence. Her First Officer, Commodore Matt Decker, didn't trust her due to her age, which would only be expected. It was as if having a backseat driver at all times. However, the moment the Starfleet Academy requested for her to return and attend the Discipline Ceremony for the James T. Kirk boy, he hauled ass and took over. Practically dumped her without even docking._

_Born in 2231, Anka had no problem in dealing with his asinine behaviour towards her. If he thought she was immature, then so be it. Anka hummed to herself as she thought of the most glorious vessel of which she had the honour to lead. Decker really had ruined the chemistry of everyone; the ultimate catalyst of the perfect crew. However, it had given her the chance to teach at the Starfleet Academy, and she wasn't the type to say no. _

Anka had been working in the hanger at the academy when the shuttles from the Enterprise returned. She had heard about the unfortunate fates of seven other starcruisers, but that was it. It was her little sanctuary, away from everything, until they came back to Earth. "Commander, that program was unbelieveable. They should have those in all of our ships!"

Nodding absently at Hikaru Sulu, one of her students, they filed into the equivalent of the Academy's auditorium. Spliting up, she made for the two rows of black uniforms, herself matching in attire, and took her seat on the second row, far seat. She didn't keep friends here in San Francisco, especially where her company was most likely picking through the younger ones, scouring for interpersonal romances. It wasn't as uncommon as one would think. The ceremony started and words were spoken, they stood silently as the now Admiral Pike was relieved, and clapping ensued. The commander shrugged before slipping out, back to work.

**Six Months Later**

Jim looked around the bridge at his crew, making a point of remembering the new faces. Not to mention, the slight change in design. The Defense Monitor was attached to the Weapons Control Systems, and was currently the only non-occupied area of the bridge. Shrugging and opting to think about the problem in a moment, he focused on Sulu. "Lieutenant, everyone is on board?"

"Yes sir, the last person boarded twenty minutes ago. We are ready whenever you are, Captain." The orient man wore a small smile, obviously happy to be manning the Enterprise on a lighter note than before.

"Warp on 8, lead on Lieutenant." Spinning in his chair, Jim felt the slight hum of the roaring equivalent of engines, the advanced technology preparing them for the warped speed. Peeking at his First Officer, the Vulcan was also observing the empty chair. Continuing in his orbit, Kirk faced the front once more as they shot off.

"Captain, we seem to be missing a Lieutenant." The cool, calm voice of Jim's Head Science Officer graced the air after everything had calmed down. It had barely been fifteen minutes since they left the space station, and a sense of normalcy had sunk in. To be honest, Jim had no idea who he was talking about. As far as he know, the same cranky man who always did the Weaponry was snoozing away in his quarters. It was probably best, he was a lazy ass anyways.

"Computer, locate crew member Snyder." Jim rubbed his temples harshly, his hopes of getting off to a good start already going down the drain. Instantly, the computerized response of "Crew member not recognized." filled their ears, shortly followed by Uhura announcing an incoming transmission from Admiral Pike. "Accept the transmission."

"Jim, I trust Anka found her way to you alright? I'm afraid our meeting ran late and I wasn't sure if she made it on board or not." Jim froze, immediately whipping his head to the empty Weaponry chair, and more than likely received whiplash when he turned back to Pike. "I take that as a 'Of course, Admiral Pike, she's just using the restroom', or perhaps 'Oh Admiral Pike, you know her. She is down in Medical getting her routine evaluation'. Perhaps even my favourite, 'No, Admiral Pike, we left your favourite strategist at the station'."

"Uh, sir, let me call you back." Hanging up before Pike could protest, Jim desperately wanted to throw himself into the nearest supernova from the amount of sarcasm dripping through the former Captain's words. Shooting up, he motioned for Spock to follow and the two quickly stepped into the turbolift and took it down to Deck 7, the central base for the Enterprise and included both the Medical Bay and Transporter Room. Detouring around the corner, they both stepped into the second turbolift that took them through the deck, down a level, over for a few more brief seconds, and continued down. The turbolift stopped at Deck 17, the secondary crew quarters, but no one was there to get on. Shuffling his feet, Kirk peered over at his companion in curiosity. The normally-placid Vulcan held a small frown on his face, looking almost as if he were lost in thought.

The doors closed right as he went to say something, but held his tongue at the last second. The lift finally stopped at 19 and Spock seemed to snap out of his daze when shouting reached their ears. Cocking an eyebrow at Jim who only shrugged in response, they doors opened and they were met with the sounds of phasers firing, strangled shouting, and the Hanger full of smoke. There was a small shuttlecraft that very clearly crashed in the middle, several scorch marks present along the body. There was the standard Starfleet emblem on the tail and sides, but no ID number or anything. It was either stolen, or a very early prototype. Jim was shooting for stolen, personally.

Darting towards the familiar Irish accent screaming profanities and promises of "ripping their intruder limb for limb for even thinking about hijacking his lady". It was met by a familiar "You're damned crazy. I didn't know they recruited imbeciles and neanderthals these days." Spock took the extra phaser Scotty held out for them, obviously not taking the situation lightly. Smoke continued to rise from the craft, but it easily cloaked Spock as he vanished from view.

With his phaser armed, Spock leaned around the front of the spacecraft to see a dark figure reach up and shoot blindly over the top. Whether it was luck or not, a loud, recognizable yelp reached their ears when Spock took action. Firing, the figure barely dodged, only to be met with a second shot in the shoulder. Abandoning their dropped phaser, the person turned around to take refuge behind the rear of the ship, only to slam into the wing and crash to the ground, unconscious.

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_Author's Note: I will be jumping around the franchise a little, since monotony isn't very enjoyable. As you can see, this story is quite old, so I have completely deleted everything and started over. It was originally a Spock/OC story set in TOS with Nimoy as Spock. It wasn't very good, I was 14, some may empathize with those feelings. Where you can't bear to read anything you wrote while younger? Yeah. That feeling. -October 28th, 2012_


	2. You Were There

_Disclaimer: This story line was inspired by the 2009 film 'Star Trek', along with my lifelong love of Leonard Nimoy and Spock. All characters, with the exception of Anka Fallon (and minour original characters), are the sole property of Gene Roddenberry. I hadn't thought much of it when I began planning and sat down to write this story, so I have gone to and made sure that I did not copy any ideas, but alas, I am only human. Parts of my story I noticed shared similarities, but it was not significant and would affect my story drastically, so a month's worth of tweaking was done and this is the result. If you have any questions or requests for me to change anything, please let me know as it is deeply important to me. Plagiarism is a disease. Please do not steal/"borrow" this story in any shape, form, or fashion._

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Kirk and Scott immediately ran over once the audible vibration filled the air, due to the intruder's collision with the craft. The smoke was heavy in the air, the Irish man coughing as if he had smoked himself for fifty years. Spock watched his captain kneel down and check the figure's pulse, but immediately shot out a hand when he went to approach."Mr. Spock, please return to the bridge. Scotty and I will take care of the intruder."

"Jim, it would be logical for me to assist in this matter, as I can acquire such motives this person had for breaking into the shi-.."

"I will come and get you as soon as they are detained in Sickbay, alright? We wouldn't take all the fun out of it." Spock raised an eyebrow, but swiftly turned on his heel and headed towards the light that was the turbolift. Scott's laugh could be heard as the door closed, but the Vulcan made no effort to stop the lift. Pressing the circle for Medical, it was only a matter of seconds before Spock was entering and making a direct beeline for McCoy. "Doctor, please prepare a biobed with appropriate restraints to accommodate an intruder. Mr. Kirk and Mr. Scott will be bringing him by shortly, and I shall return when he is secured."

Kirk was rolling by the time they heard the lift take off. The smoke began to clear as he picked up their visitor and headed towards the lift with Scotty. "I guess cleaning up this mess isn't within the reins of Engineering, Scotty?"

"I can send up an Ensign, but let's get this lass up to Sickbay before someone has a stroke at being told no, yeah?" The trio entered the lift and immediately took off towards Medical Bay. After a few moments, they exited and made the small trek down and turned in, only to see Bones waiting for them. He took her with a grumble and led them over to the farthest biobed and strapped him in. "I will go watch the Hanger, jus' in case there are more, sir."

Glancing down to their visitor now resting on the bed, Kirk shook his head, trying to keep the shit-eating grin off his face. "That won't be necessary, Scotty. Please go retrieve Mr. Spock quietly, and have him report back here. Tell him," Kirk smirked at McCoy, "to take his time."

Leaving to do just that, Scotty was gone and left the two friends observing the visitor. The duo immediately began to take off some of the thinker layers when Nurse Chapel entered and began to collect them. Jim pulled off the scarf that covered the intruder's entire face save their eyes, and howled with laughter. Bones looked to the source and started choking. "Computer, restrict current access to Medical Bay immediately, authorization code seven nine Sam zero zero."

They slid back the hood attached to one of the jackets the female wore and saw the bluish bruise starting to form on her forehead. Turning around for a second, the two men allowed Nurse Chapel to finish stripping their visitor down and closed her in the all-black attire, much like Jim had worn when he first arrived to the Enterprise under the influence of Melvaran Mud Fleas vaccines. There had been a dark area on her right shoulder from Spock's blast, but it wasn't long until she was patched up. After hearing a 'you're clear', they turned and instantly began cracking up. Ignoring the fact that Nurse Chapel's hands were covered in dark smears, they put the clothes in a box and sat it next to the bed. Instructing the nurse to clean herself up, McCoy attached the restraints while trying to not giggle. "Computer," More giggles. "Unlock Medical Bay access, authorization code seven nine Sam zero zero one."

Spock stood quietly as he waited for the doctor to unlock the doors, pondering several scenarios that awaited him on the other side. He had seen that kind of shuttlecraft design before, but it was escaping him. He heard the computer accept the code and immediately stepped into the room. "Captain, I must inquire as to whether you are feeling well. Locking yourself in a room with a foreign occupant is most illogical, should they have awoken and overpowered you and Dr. McCoy."

"Mr. Spock," Nurse Chapel sighed audibly before leaving the bay, no doubt in search of a quieter place for the time being. Jim composed himself for a second, but moved to the side to show their 'intruder' to Spock. "Pike is going to kill us."

Spock quirked an eyebrow at the side of Anka Fallon on the biobed, clearly still knocked out and tied to the table. Jim was sure that the Vulcan was testing his options mentally, to fight to not. Metaphorically speaking, of course, until Bones burst out into laughter. "You... You shot her! God, this is great. She's going to be in a bad mood for a year after this!"

Kirk joined him, realizing the irony of the situation and the fact that Fallon wouldn't be mad at them for once. The heard a ripping sound and spun around to see the female in question sitting up, easily tearing off the straps on her wrists. They shared a glance, before turning back to Spock. He rested a hand on her shoulder, gaining the woman's attention towards the conversation. Spock observed the woman, taking in the black locks that fell from where they had been tied back, covering much of her neck and such. There was a smear of dark red, almost a violet-blue smear on her cheek, contrasting heavily against the pale skin beneath. It wasn't until he saw those familiar grey eyes that he realized who exactly he shot. "Mr. Spock, I would like to introduce Starfleet's Aviation & Weapons Professor, Anka Fallon. She's the one who designed and installed Sulu's Phaser-Locking System that saved your ass against Nero. Both Bones and I had the pleasure of taking her Physics courses as well two years ago, before she was stationed on the U.S.S. Constellation."

Eyes darting back and forth the trio, Spock instantly put everything together. "You taught the Physics courses in the Hanger, correct? You were also the one to assist Captain Kirk in his endeavors to disprove the Kobayashi Maru exam."

"Guilty as charged, Spock. When Jimbo told me he failed the second time, I was away with Decker on the Constellation, so I sent him a little gift with instructions. Cadets have more pressing issues to deal with than playing games where the game maker is cheating. This is the twenty-third century, Spock, not the twentieth." Spock noticed Kirk smile as Fallon spoke, clearly remembering the events leading up to his discipline hearing. He noticed her opening the padded braces on her legs and scooted off the bed, her sock-clad feet making no sound against the floor. She stretched minimally before rounding on the captain. "Anyways, I apologize for my tardiness, Jim. Pike kept me late and THEN decided that I was going with you. Of course, it did not help that I ran into your friend in the Hanger. He damaged one of my prototypes, I will have you know."

"Lieutenant, explain why Admiral Pike has requested that you assist us." Spock narrowed his eyes at the woman, bits and pieces of memories seeping into his mind. He had only seen her a few times during his time at the Academy. She graduated the year after him, her focus in xenoweaponry, and immediately began teaching in 2254. She was hardly present during the administration meetings, if he remembered correctly. Fallon looked at him pointedly.

"It's Commander, Mr. Spock," Jim spewed out when he noticed Fallon's expression. Instantly, he rounded back on Fallon, an easy expression on his face. "Welcome to the U.S.S. Enterprise, Commander. Now that I think about it, I could use you as my Second Officer. I hardly think we need Mr. Scott on landing parties when he is much more suited for here, don't you agree, Mr. Spock?"

Silence.

"Indeed."

"Great. Anka -I hope it's alright if I call you that-, let's get you changed and where you need to be. Mr. Spock, please watch over the bridge until we return." Spock was displeased at his captain's behaviour as the pair walked to the exit doors, no doubt going to the deck below to give the _professor_ a uniform. "I am also assigning her to the Physics department, Spock. I'm sure you will be able to find some use for the commander."

And like that, they were gone through the doors, leaving the lone Vulcan to monotonously stand there and sort through the anger in his mind.

"You look good in blue." Anka gave a small smile to the captain, one of her favourites from the Academy. Though many female crew members chose to wear the short-sleeved version of the black undershirt, she was comfortable in the long-sleeved version under the blue dress. The black tights were warm, the boots fit swimmingly. Taking the silver Starfleet emblem from Jim, she attached it to her uniform and pulling on a pair of black gloves that went up to her forearm. It never hurt to be prepared in case of an emergency. Usually. "Scotty has been taking care of the Hanger, but I'm sure he'd love some help. You know the fifth level is our quarters, but I will get you your room assignment this evening. I'm not sure why I'm explaining this, but you get the picture."

Shrugging, they made their way back to the turbolift and were estimated to reach the bridge within seconds. Kirk quickly pushed the stop bottom and peered at his companion. They had been good friends during his time at the Academy, more so that he could speak his mind and never fear that she would run and tell her coworkers and have him discharged. He had a lot of trust in the woman, and that might be why Spock was short with him. Regardless, there were going to be hurdles to cross. He stepped behind her and fixed the quickly-brushed hair. It was still brushed back, but he loosened the tie considerably so her only the front of her face was visible. Tying it back, Anka peeked at him with a questioning look. "You know why. It saves questions, predicaments, arguments, and possible deaths from you two trying to kill each other."

"What do you mean, Jimbo?"

He gulped, knowing what all had happened when they failed to stop Nero would affect Anka. Of course, there were also details that he had no place revealing. She cut herself off from the world, stuck in the Hanger until they returned, working on the blueprints of a future starship, the U.S.S. Stargazer. "It's nothing, I'll tell you later."

The woman arched a thin, curved eyebrow at him, but he only pressed the button. They exited the lift and several gazes turned towards the both of them. Spock, Anka noticed, did not make the extended eye contact that the others did, but it was perfectly alright. Jim led her out and she followed him towards the Weapons monitor before he made introductions. "I'd like you all to meet Commander Fallon. Some of you may have had her during your time at the Academy. If not, now's your chance. She will be heading our Weapons Monitor and Controls, relieving Mr. Sulu so that he may concentrate on his actual duties, and assisting in the Physics department. Mr. Sulu, fall out of warp in an hour when we enter the neutral zone. I would like to assess its status before be continue on."

Anka stood there quietly as the dark lady from Communications and redhead from the Navigations Monitor across the room immediately introduced themselves. She shook their hand, nodding at them both as they began speaking. Lieutenant Nyota Uhura she was already familiar with, having taught her Betazed language and culture course for half a year at the young woman's request, and offered pleasant greetings towards her former student. Taking the redhead's hand, the girl introduced herself as Ensign Victoria Slater, Navigation relief and monitor. Offering the girl small words, Anka noticed both of the males from in front of Jim walked towards her, calling for Victoria to take over for the moment. "Hello."

"My name es Pavel Andreevich Chekhov. It es a pleazure to meet you, Commander." Smiling at the curly-haired Russian, Anka remembered seeing him when the Enterprise returned previously.

"Zdraste_, Pavel Andreevich. The pleasure is mine to meet you. I must say that I admired your work with the transportation device, it was truly remarkable._" His expression was mortified when she replied in his native tongue, but quickly snapped out of it and began to ramble. The one next to him, Hikaru Sulu, instantly pulled her into a hug and successfully cut off Chekhov. Shifting uncomfortably, she made no motion to hug him back, but merely patted his shoulder rigidly.

"Boy, am I glad to see you." Chekhov looked questioningly at them when Sulu backed up, but Anka noticed that Spock was merely sitting at his station. It was an indication of eavesdropping, but ignored such behaviour. "Admiral Pike was pissed to hear the captain left you at the station."

Dropping her smile, Anka shrugged but turned to address Chekhov who was whipping his head back and forth, attempting to understand. "When one of the professors was called away for a trip to assist an Andorian shuttlecraft, I took over for the semester. It happened to contain Mr. Sulu here, so I had the privilege of educating him in the division of piloting starships before I was called away on my own mission for Starfleet."

"Okay, social butterflies, back to your stations. Let the woman relax for a moment. Lieutenant, send a transmission to Admiral Pike." Jim ushered the two back to their respective chairs before resuming his place back in the Captain's Chair, just as the Admiral's face popped up on the screen. "Admiral, I believe your stowaway has been captured and returned to her station."

Anka ignored the conversation for the time being as the continued on towards the neutral zone. However, her brief moment of silence was met by the shifting of the empty chair next to her. Visually examining the man now looking at the Defenses part of the screen, she restricted herself from looking away from his face. "You are not human."

While Uhura and Ensign Slater were speaking with the new commander, Spock found himself unable to resist opening the newcomer's Starfleet record. Listening in on the conversation and reading the long report, it was surmounting to a confusing feeling inside of him. Several areas of the report where blacked out and his authorization code would not unlock them. Eyes were grey, hair was black. Height was 5' 6", weight was 150 lbs. Chancing a scan for a mere second, Spock came to conclusion that the slender female was not particularly close to 150 lbs and began to question the rest of the document. Humans were primarily focused on weight loss; perhaps this file was not updated. All information on her father was blacked out; the only thing available on her mother was that her mother was born in Rixx, the capital of the planet known as Cyndriel. There was a small, singular note stating that her mother was born into the Fifth House of Betazed.

Cyndriel was known as Betazed on Earth, and was not a member of the Federation. Spock remembered learning about the distant planet, having been initially discovered by Vulcan technology in the late twenty-first century. In the twenty-second century, the Betazoids made first contact with those outside of their planet with the Terabians. 2161, the Vulcans and Betazoids made contact with each other, which was less than a hundred years ago. Barely, but still less.

She enlisted with Starfleet in 2248 when she was seventeen, graduated in 2252, and that was it. Everything else was blacked out, and Spock had no idea why. The only thing he could safely assume was that the commander was a Betazoid, which also explained the bluish tinge to her skin. Oh, and that she still had to complete an evaluation by Doctor McCoy within the next week. He would have to advise the doctor to be expecting her.

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_Author's Note: I suck at Scottish/Irish accents, so I apologize for that. Luckily, I would think, it finally came in handy to know Russian. Anyways, I was speaking with my Uncle and we had come to the conclusion that the Betazoids held Cobalt blood. Humans have Iron, Vulcans have Copper, Chrome doesn't count, and that leaves Cobalt. Well, there was a theory that was mentioned at a comic-con once and was heavily discussed during a panel that the telepathic and dominant races had these colorants in their blood. I am using that here, even though it's not officially confirmed. (Klingons have chrome, which is why it doesn't count. Only kidding.)_

_For interested parties, I was pilfering through the ST09 forum and did the Mary Sue test. Little Anka scored a 14. Makes me feel a little better. -October 29th, 2012_


	3. For Those Reasons

_To be honest, I didn't expect much attention to this story. Either way, I'd like to thank Jess114. Um, to those who appeared, welcome to the shittiest story of the century._

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"You are not human." She only nodded at him in the slightest, before facing her screen once more. There was something about her that was off, and he didn't like it. He wanted the woman off the ship, but he knew Jim wouldn't hear it. Spock looked hard at the woman, aware that he resembled a fool gawking at a woman. She wasn't the most prized beauty out there, but there was sleekness, a grace to her movements. Betazoids were known for their beauty to humans, but there was little difference. She was attractive, and he would leave it at that.

He had taught with the female Betazoid for three years and had never once known of her specifically. It was logical to be aware of the company you keep, regardless if you enjoy their presence or not. Her stature was slender, but there was muscle to her tone. Many of her people were like that, and should they not take care of themselves, it was irreversible and looked down upon in their society. Her hair was indeed black; such was not common on Betazed but was known to happen. Her eyes were grey, almond-shaped as humans were known to call the shape, but dark.

With a satisfactory answer, Spock returned to his station. Just as he sat down in his chair, a feeling of contentment slipped into his mind like water, all confusion dissipating slowly. He peered at the Betazoid over his shoulder and saw a ghost of a smile. A tiny flare of anger hit him, but it soon vanished as well. Nothing was touching in his mind, she respected his privacy. Spock stood and headed for the turbolift. He needed to meditate before his anger got the best of him.

When Spock returned, he felt like normal. As the lift doors open, he was faced with Commander Fallon once more, but did not get out. She quietly stood at the other side, facing the same direction and politely asked for him to press the button for the fifth deck. Merely acknowledging her request by heeding it, Spock waited for the lift to take them down.

Stepping out into the spacious area, Spock did what felt logical; there was no need to have angry coworkers. The entryway was vacated as he noticed the female commander look towards two different hallways, no doubt attempting to deduce which route would be quicker. "Commander Fallon, may I inquire as to if we shall make amends over a meal? You have not eaten since you arrived."

"No need, Commander. I was flustered and acted irrationally. Jim, unfortunately, rubs off on me and I was a touch pleased to see him again. She faced him, allowing him to face her properly and evaluate her. "I would shake your hand, but I would rather not. Goodnight, Commander."

Anka turned to her right and turned down the northern hall, but slowed her pace. Turning her head over her shoulder, she noticed her commander going down the southern hall right as her stomach growled. Ignoring it, she turned down the left hall and immediately stopped at the first door on her right. Punching in her authorization code, the cool air instantly hit Anka as the door closed behind her. Her stomach growled once more, but that was the last straw. "Quiet it! Lights!"

Anka treaded into the now-lit attached room and only saw one bed. She didn't have a roommate and at that precise stardate, she couldn't have been happier. Pulling off her boots and gloves, she tossed them into the lone chair and collapsed on the bed. Reaching over on the small desk beside her bed, Anka grabbed the PADD and pulled out the stylus, she opened up her personal schedule and was due on the bridge in 8 hours.

8 short hours.

And just like that, the Enterprise fell into the same routine. Outside of the first day, Spock was as apathetic as ever, never once slipping even a toe out of character. He made sure of it, though there were no further complications with the new commander. However, on the first day of the new month in particular, an Ensign was occupying Fallon's usual seat during her usual shift that regularly began with the rest of the first shift at 1400. "Ensign, where is Commander Fallon?"

"S-Sir," The Ensign rounded on him immediately, a flush rising upon his cheeks. Surely he was not so weak-minded as to become embarrassed by a simple inquiry. "The C-Commander has req-quested to assist with those w-who are struggling to k-keep up in the hanger. It is only t-temporary to my knowledge."

Logical, Spock thought, but unnecessary. The ensigns would have been shifted primarily to accommodate the overseeing head of their department, not the other way around.

So I have noticed that it's already drifting slightly into OOC-ness, and that's exactly what I get for writing while I am exhausted. Oops. All feedback is appreciated, as I do not have a beta for this story. The sound of the turbolift could be heard opening and the ensign immediately looked towards it and stood and addressed both Spock and no doubt Fallon. "Commanders."

"Ensign, you may return to your post. You left in rather a hurry earlier and knocked over two tables in the process, so I would be greatly appreciative if you would clean up your mess and attempt to contain your clumsiness from now on. Dismissed." Anka focused on the boy, waves of frustration, humiliation, and disappointment hit her, but she only sighed. Pouring in a feeling of understanding and determination into his mind, the boy slowly began to nod, crack a genuine smile, and left.

Anka was painfully aware that there were others not minding their own altercations, but most kicked their chair around. However, it was Lieutenant Uhura who faced her still and strode to meet her in front of the weapons panel. "Commander, permission to speak freely?"

"Permission granted," She knew what was coming. Anka may have taught the young lieutenant, they may have been on understanding terms, but it was a whole other thing to see a characteristic in the flesh, rather than in theory. "Lieutenant."

Uhura watched the commander lean back against her panel, arms crossed and eyes expectantly on her. Easily, though, the woman kept her voice between them. "Don't you think you were a little harsh on him? I know that there are cultures that are taught about honesty, but have you no care for how that would affect others? He looked like he was about to cry when you spoke to him."

"Miss Uhura, you and I have been acquainted for how many years now? Two years and eight months. I shall not sacrifice my upbringing and thereby very nature to exercise caution at hurting another's feelings. There is neither prime nor reason in such _logic_. I would have thought that you," Anka glanced at Spock for a mere second, aware of their relationship and the foreign word on her tongue. "Of all people would understand such principles. If it enlightens you to be aware, I eased all notion of self-loathing from the Ensign's mind and offered him a more respectable feeling of the desire to improve, rather than leave him to wallow in the depths of his mind, however shallow. I will tell him what he did wrong, Miss Uhura, and I will rectify the manner, not out of pity, but as a learning experience. As our shifts are over in half an hour, would you like to join me for a meal? I feel as if I owe you a more rectified answer than I can provide here."

Anka had no desire to upset the woman and explaining everything to one person would not be the end of the world. "Of course."

Sitting at the table with Uhura, she kept a seat between them and hoped she would understand. The room was fairly empty, but Anka was severely questioning on whether they had chosen an unfavourable time to conduct such a conversation. "You may refer to me informally if you desire, Lieutenant. Ask what you wish, I will clarify as many matters as I can before prying ears are discovered."

"Ditto, Ank-." Uhura visibly relaxed, but questioned to herself whether it was actually her or the Betazoid at the table with her.

"Miss Uhura, I feel that you should understand that I will never influence you without a reason or your permission. It is something I rarely do, simply because it is not my place." Content with her response, she forked the small tomato off of her plate and popped it into her mouth. "If you are a Betazoid, your people are known for empathy. There have been thousands of cases of such empaths responding to each and every emotional wave that is thrown at their mind, however unintentional." Was answered with a slight pause, but the commander recovered quickly. "Some of us are born with more control, some of us learn to harness that control. It is true, many of our people go mad or take medication to handle the thoughts, but it is much easier to build up a barrier against them."

"Isn't that a contradiction to your kind, no offense?"

"Commander, Lieutenant, would it be of great indifference if I joined the table?" Anka mentally cringed as Uhura allowed the xenocommander to join them.

"Mr. Spock, I would greatly appreciate it if you found another table to dine at tonight. I am sure Mr. Kirk and whomever he has dragged along this time will be able to provide you with a more pleasurable eating experience, rather than such miscegenation of repugnant history." With that, she focused on her plate until she was sure that the man was indeed seated several tables away. "Miss Uhura, maybe I should start from the beginning. It might be a touch clearer. It would mean a great deal if you did not repeat this information, as it is most certainly not common knowledge at the very least and I intend on keeping my family safe from prying eyes. To have done so for such a period of time is comforting."

Spock was waiting for Uhura outside of her quarters, but the woman made no protest to him following her into her designated area. As soon as the door was closed, she had already begun. "What?"

"You are conflicted." It was a statement, one that clearly burned deep inside. She held a pink tinge to her face, but confirmed his words. "Your conversation with Commander Fallon has done this to you, yet she did not remove such thoughts from your mind."

"I asked her not to, as to not sway my thoughts. Spock, I just need some time right now, alright?"

"Maybe I can assist you in counsel. I assure you that I will not divulge any privilege information outside of this room." At any opportune time, the mocha-skinned woman sitting on her desk would enjoy his company, but she could hardly look at him presently. "If Commander Fallon presented a point that is the cause of your confliction, perhaps I may clarify such knowledge. My people have great understanding of Betazed, despite their cultural differences from our own."

"Good night."

Spock left Uhura's quarters quite flustered, only in the appearance of walking more rapidly than normal, pondering just what Fallon had told her. If he performed a meld, it would have to be with permission and Uhura clearly was not going to give it. To cause such distress in the normally level-headed female was cause for objectionable actions. Pressing the button for the Medical Bay two decks down, it wasn't long before he entered the Sickbay and faced McCoy. "Doctor, I need to know if you have observed anything unusual about Commander Fallon. She has upset Lieutenant Uhura and I am not quite sur-.."

"RED ALERT, RED ALERT. ALL OFFICERS, REPORT TO YOUR DESIGNATED STATIONS IMMEDIATELY. RE ALERT, RED ALERT."

Feeling a small twinge of guilt at the emotions hitting her, Anka endured as she locked onto the Klingon war vessel. They shot several torpedo-like projectiles at them and she locked on to all with ease on her screen. Authorizing fire of the phasers with double attacks, all but one was destroyed, but soon after, suffered the same fate. Activating the phaser beam and locking on the vessel, she fired instantly, but ceased as an incoming transmission was put through. "This is Captain James T. Kirk of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Why have you fired on a Federation ship in Federation territory? That is usually a declaration of war and I just want to be clear before we tear you into smithereens."

Leave it to Jim to be immature about a serious matter. The line went dead without a word when Anka's screen began to blink. "Sir, they are locking weapons on us."

"Destroy th-.." The starship rocked heavily with impact, leaving the few standing members of Starfleet to desperately hang onto something. Anka felt several of them emit fearful thoughts of dread and the like and did her best to send calming thoughts towards most everyone in the room she thought needed it. Not many, but enough to cause an easy panic.

"Shields at 60%, Captain. Converting power cells to frontal shields and activating Deck 3 Phaser Torpedoes at your command, sir." Jim raised his eyebrows at his Commander, finally able to say that he had seen her in action and he only had one word: _damn_. The ship rocked again, this time to the side and again once more, knocking them back and Anka doubled her focus on the fear and on her screen. "Shields at 20%, locking on."

"Get it over with, Commander."

"Yes sir." He observed her making a few swipes on her screen, positioning the torpedoes, and double-tapped on the war vessel when the recoil of the torpedo lightly shook the ship. They watched the window, the disgustingly huge abomination now residing in several pieces and destroyed.

"Well, that was fun. I'm hungry again, who would like to join me?"

Anka blinked, feeling her head and thought process turn into a fuzzy mess. Rubbing her neck, she felt the familiar warm liquid smear with her hand. Bringing it up to her face, it took a second to realize what exactly she was looking at. Blood. Her blood.

It had been a long time since she had felt such exhaustion, but her relief was there and was rambling away with Chekhov, not one to notice her leaving. Stringing into the turbolift without making eye contact with anyone, she hit the button for Deck 7 and waited patiently. Blinking once, she stepped out and turned into Sick bay, only to have McCoy blink back stupidly at her. "Funny, Jim just told me to look for you. You still need to do your evaluation, Commander. Is something the matter?"

Anka shrugged, but held her hand in front of her body so he could see the blood on her hands. "I believe an explanation is in order, Doctor, but I am afraid I need medicine. My body and mind are hyperactive and I cannot calm myself down."

McCoy frowned but motioned towards a biobed as he left to grab a PADD. It was the truth, focusing on assisting her crewmates forced her to take in every ounce of the emotions they felt at once, that it was too much for her brain. For a couple of minutes, of course, but half an hour was too much, too soon, and her mind was having none of it. "I need your authorization code to view the entire file, Anka."

"Seven eight victor zero two." Looking away, it had been some time since she had felt the shame of her family. Such a long time, and it hurt. While she naturally despised the Betazed blood in her veins, it never occurred to her to wish to bring an end to her mother's home planet. Anka's chest hurt, another foreign feeling that she had almost missed. Being stuck with Decker and then at the Academy drained her, there was no excitement, nothing to feel, nothing to experience. "This stays between us."

The entry door whooshed open to reveal Lieutenant Uhura, looking expectantly between the two of them. Offering an instantaneous farewell, Anka slid off the table and adjusted her dress as she walked past. Knowing with the ferocity that the young woman walked with, there was clearly a matter that needed to be discussed. Sifting back around to stick her head into the room and announce that she would return later, Anka felt her stomach do questionable actives, as if it had decided to change profession without her approval.

The two were lip-locked, quite heavily, and McCoy's hands were not easily kept to himself. They separated for a moment, whispers being spoken between the two prevaricators, before the doctor forced her backwards into his office, giving Anka the briefest, unwanted gaze up Lieutenant Uhura's uniform. Feeling her face heat up, Anka bit her lip harshly and stalked off towards the turbolift. She was going to go work until her body demanded rest.

You do not cheat on your mate, for it is sure to bring troubling thoughts.

* * *

_Author's Note: I would like to point out that Spock & Uhura are currently together and while he was content to let Anka be, clearly he is concerned for Uhura. Just to clarify, in case it was confusing. Everyone does stupid things for love, even Human-Vulcan hybrids. Ending it here because I am going to bed and need to think about what to put next. _

_(Oh, I planned on putting this in the first chapter. It's essentially identical, the undershirt, just with long sleeves.)  
anovosDOTcom/star-trek-xi/star-trek-xi-science-division-blue-uniform-dress_


	4. Uncounted

It really wasn't any of her business, so she would not think any more of it.

Despite sitting in the warm expanse of her room, Anka shivered slightly and shifted in the chair. Relaxing her mind, she consciously strained to hear the vibrations, focusing on the sounds of the ship. Whatever the two decided to do was their business; she was not here to play matchmaker and relationship-fixer. There was no love lost between Anka and her Betazoid half, so she could not entirely empathize with those miniscule urges that she felt. Uhura was her student and shipmate; nothing else. If the woman desired help, Anka would help to her limitations, but that was it. It was not logical to interfere with another's live without permission with such a personal matter.

Allowing her stress to slip out and a calm façade back in place once more, Anka didn't feel the need to jump when the computer beeped and an obnoxious knock sounded at her door. "Anka, Bones has a, well, bone to pick with you!"

Ridiculous laughing could be heard, leaving her to mentally groan at the mention of company joining her. While she deeply enjoyed meditation, the Betazed blood in her veins demanded sleep. Quietly slipping her feet to the carpeted floor, Anka, what she considered moped, towards the door and the computer opened it without a pause. Both Kirk and McCoy stood there, the doctor holding his tricorder, PADD, and a small kit. "Who pissed you off?"

Snapping her head towards Jim, she felt the anger seep into her bloodstream and settle as if determined not to be removed. Stepping to the side and granting them entrance, the two men made themselves a little too at home.

* * *

"Computer, locate Chief Medical Officer McCoy."

"Deck E, Room 527."

Nurse Chapel raised an eyebrow at the computer's confession, but shrugged it off as she turned back to the other man in the room. "I'm sorry Commander, Dr. McCoy is busy at the moment, but should return soon. He is clearing up the last of the evaluations."

Spock eyed the woman monotonously, unknowing if the female had no ulterior motives in hiding the doctor from him. He had heard the computer give his locations, so he would simply investigate the matter himself. If both the doctor and the commander had a relationship, Spock knew that they had not filed such documentation for Starfleet. It was only logical that he investigate the matter. "Thank you, Nurse."

* * *

"You can't hide it forever, Anka. Besides, we rarely have a problem with race anymore. This is a somewhat civilized age, you know." Ignoring McCoy as he did his little 'check-up', Anka didn't move from her face-down position on the bed. The exhaustion was setting in and although she attempted many times in tuning the two men out, her trysts were unsuccessful. "The people on the Enterprise are good, hard-working people. If there's an issue, we work through them. You know that. Well, unless someone has a problem with Spock. That green-blooded hobgoblin doesn't care if someone has a problem with him. Of course, they are probably scared to death to say anything."

Jim _giggled_. "Bones, play nice."

Turning a passive ear to the conversation, Anka sighed. The pair reeked of excitement and energy and it downright depressed her. A tell-tale sign that she needed sleep. "Whoa, Commander, are you alright?"

Raising her head, she saw Jim and Bones looking at her questioningly, until she realized what she did. Dropping her head back down on the pillow, she mumbled apologies and heaved their previous feelings back onto them. Within moments, they were laughing and cutting up again. "..so the first time I had Anka, there was this Andorian who refused to behave in class. One day, he made a remark about Vulcan physicists and I swear to you not, everyone in the class could feel how angry she was. Anka was like a beacon that was being thrown around in the ocean. I wouldn't put it past her to kill him either, because those were some intense feelings the class felt that day. The kid never showed back up in the class again."

"Well no shit, I wouldn't either." Picking up on the conversation as Bones gave her an immunization to some new viral strand in existence, Anka could not refrain from reliving the same memory that Jim was talking about. She felt a prodding in her healed shoulder, but Anka only leaned to the side a little and pulled down the collar so the doctor could inspect the top of the scar. "It's fading nicely already, so I wouldn't give it more than another month or so before you won't see it at all. Anka, You better have given the hobgoblin an earful for shooting you."

Shrugging and slumping back to the bed, Anka nearly moaned at the feeling of the soft pillow under her face. She was tired. So tired. She didn't even want to change out of her uniform. Anka felt her mind warp into that semi-conscious phase as the two men talked, enjoying the small talk of their greatest Academy pranks and such. Inhaling, she could practically smell the warmth of Vulcan, the deserty cities, her birthplace of Kren'than. You couldn't reach the city, normally, by technological means. It was one of the things she loved about it.

The Soltars that grew along the outside of the city could be smelt from her father's house in the inner workings of the community. The closer they grew to ripening, the sweeter the smell. It was sticky, warm, like honey. T'mirak rice, the rice her mother grew and prepared herself smelt of rich spices that simply had no words. The city was along the base of the mountains, built well up into the sides. Always, always, there were children about. Despite the training Vulcan children underwent, they could still be seen walking around, much like on Earth. There was a philosophical peace to the old city, maybe it was due to Mt. Kohlinar being but a few kilometers away, but it was... logical. She would never call any other planet in the Federation home.

Maybe it was irrational of her to be highly attached to the planet in which she was born on, but there was no prime reason she could not be. Another knock resonated against the door, ripping Anka from her daydream about Vulcan. "Computer, grant access."

The sounds of the door opening infiltrated their ears, causing the boys to stop only for a second, but they continued right on. The door closed once more, but it didn't keep Anka from drifting off into her Vulcanized daydream. She had only just made the journey with her parents, the three-day trek from Xental, it seemed yesterday. Before Jim's hearing, she had found them both ready to return to the planet from their visiting an acquaintance on Earth. It was pleasant to return to her city after so long. Anka had left them with words of returning soon.

And then Vulcan was gone.

She hadn't even had the chance to save them. Communications to the colonies were spacey, unreliable, and official records of survivors were not complete. The emotional impulses she inherited from her mother's race clashed heavily, and she often found herself contradicting her own thoughts many a times. Anka had already begun questioning on whether or not to ask for shore leave to go and search for them when the weight on the bed diminished. "Fallon, everything is looking normal. I have one more shot to give you, but it can wait. See you at dinner."

Confirming by a trivial nod, it was that time that her stomach chose to growl inaudibly. The door opened, taking the two familiar voices farther and farther away until the door sealed, cutting off all outside sound. Confused on why there was another person in the room, Anka rolled over and clarity bled into her mind. Not seeing anyone in the area, she made her way towards the opening that led to the entry expanse.

Spock stood there, arms behind his back and staring at her empty shelving unit, but she felt nothing significant roll off of him. His control truly was outstanding. Sliding out the chair behind the singular desk, Anka rested in it, feeling a touch more awake than she previously had. "The doctor and Jim are uncertain as to the emotions you were projecting, as was I when I passed through the hall. As a Betazoid, the ones who uncontrollably project what they are experiencing are restricted from leaving the planet. As a descendant from one of the thirteen houses, I had expected you to have more control."

Cocking an eyebrow at the man, she leaned back and crossed her arms in front of her torso. She had no reason to explain herself. During her brief daydream of sorts, what anger she felt was diminished, leaving an exceptionally relaxed Anka in its wake. Even when her home was departed, it assisted her. "I do not see a need for an apology, as I was not blocking my thoughts. If it pleases you, I shall do my finest to refrain in the future. Now, to what do I owe this honour?"

The Vulcan twisted to face her, driving Anka to swallow in the slightest. She had never taken the time to take a true look at the man, but this time, she was pleased that she did. Spock was indeed mindful of his physique. He was lean, but there was a distinctive muscle mass that many Vulcans shared. His eyes, the deepest Human brown that she had no doubt came from his human half, eyed her wordlessly. Blinking, she kept her cerebral barrier up before she could get herself into too much trouble. "You are from Kren'than?"

"Yes." Anka was unsure of what the man was asking of her, but motioned for him to sit in the chair on the opposite length of the desk. He did as such, but Spock kept the same tall posture all the same. They endured in such stillness for numerous minutes before she understood that he was not going to carry on until she did so. Erecting from her seat, Anka sidestepped the desk and easily perched on the forward-facing side, inches from Spock. She drew her gloves off, lightly tossing them onto the desk next to her derrière, and watched him. Keeping fast movements at bay, she knew that her words would never do justice. Breathing deeply, she sustained the eye contact. "May I?"

Spock looked at her with mild surprise, causing her the crack a tiny grin, but he hardened his mind so she could not dig. It was only expected, of course. Any Vulcan who would willingly enter a meld with someone who was not their mate would be wary. He had never heard of a Betazoid transferring by touch unless they were heavy emotions, but she had once chance. He had never seen Kren'than and was filled with such... _desire _to.

Anka discerned the rapid struggle in his eyes, but endeavoured to relax her body and mind. Reaching out, she permitted her hands to graze his cheek before freezing, her hands millimeters from his face. Pausing for an instant, she contemplated what entirety she was going to share. Thousands of Vulcans never saw her city, if not more. Her childhood had been sheltered, to an extent; her life had been out of sorts. The city had been tolerant, but her mother, not so much. Gazing back at Spock, she dropped the barricade that she held up and placed both hands on all six melding points without a second thought. "My mind to your mind. My thoughts to your thoughts."

The ten words she whispered rang crystal clear in Spock's mind, but he did not jerk away from the spark that hit his mind as theirs connected. His eyes encountered a kaleidoscope of sorts as her memories formulated, as if trying to decide which to expose to him first. _Fallon._

The colours stopped for a hairbreadth of a second, but continued on until the isolated city was before him. She said nothing in response, but he looked on as if he were the dreamer. The heat was pleasantly stifling, the air the scent of sweet, spicy fruits. His feet directed themselves as he found himself in the city center. Though mostly modernized like the Capital, glorious structures stuck out of the mountain. Light caught one corner just right, the refraction of colour splayed across the sides of the orifice.

A distortion of the life, a shift in the memories occurred, and then solidified once more. There was a small Vulcan boy in front of Spock on his eye level. Instantly, he recognized the boy as Sofek, the very same who he fought with when he was the same age. His cognizance bursting with the reminiscence of him insulting his mother, calling her a whore, his father a traitor. A surge of immense anger filled his vision and felt the connection dip for a mere second, but it held. He fleetingly studied the four shadowed figures observing the scene, but turned back to Sofek and noticed that Anka and Sofek were forming the telepathic bond; each with a hand on the other's melding points. A feeling of distraught hit his mind, Fallon's, he realized. _Does this upset you?_

_Yes and no. _Everything shifted, and he soon found himself inside the glassed building, close to the top of the city and its grandeur schema. The scent of T'mirak rice filled the air and Spock felt an instant yearning for home. The feeling deepened suddenly, and he knew that he was experiencing what she was, on top of his own. The rice dish had been his father's favourite.

His body subconsciously steered him down a hall to his right, ornately decorated in burgundy, until a circular room was revealed. Instantaneously, he was faced with a man and a woman. The man looked much like a Vulcan, one he instantly recognized as Malik, a former instructor at the Vulcan Science Academy and a member of the Vulcan High Council for the city of Kren'than. Spock had favourable memories of the man who had never shown him prejudice. He had spoken with a kindness in his words that Spock once had thought weak, but he could see the logic behind it, now.

He realized that he had begun to reveal to Anka the memory of him and Malik, but washed it away. She said nothing, but pressed on. The female had long black hair, much like Fallon did, but her eyes were black, a shade darker than his companion's. Her lips were pursed; skin the familiar bluish tinge, and cheeks flushed. Both of them, however, wore customary Vulcan robes. "Anka, you are late. Your Kahs-wan begins tomorrow and I will not have you be late."

The woman's firm, but soothing voice drifted out of focus as Spock was suddenly hit with extreme warmth that he was exceptionally aware of. There was heaviness on his side where Spock saw a grey Shelat. Time sped through the 10 days inside of Vulcan's Forge, his body following through every step Fallon had taken. The Shelat had fallen sick on the eighth day, and by the tenth, she had nursed him back to health. At the end, Malik had congratulated "him" and the pair regarded the mother. He voiced her name, "Syami." But she only glanced away. In a fluttery feeling, Spock felt the mother's emotions. They were strong, especially with her unsettledness looming at the front of her mind, but he could pinpoint the cause of her distress: Fallon.

Once more, everything changed and Spock found himself at the Starfleet Academy at a large table. Laid out was a colossal blueprint for what looked like a starship, but it was only partially complete. There were uncountable weapons details and notes for several areas, but he peeked up and realized he was in the hanger at the Academy, in the single class room that Fallon utilized for the miscellaneous classes she instructed. Out of nowhere, a sense of panic hit his midsection and his body felt as if it were compressing. _Vulcan was gone. I did not find out until later, when the Enterprise returned, what had happened._

Spock then understood that he would have experienced the same reaction, had he not been so overcome with grief and anger at his mother's passing. The colours died down as he felt the Commander pull away, allowing him no ideal opportunity to view behind any further locked closets. His eyes regained focus shortly thereafter, only to be met with the same dark eyes that had guided him through trifling morsels of her existence. "I have had no contact with any of the colonies. I fear both of my parents and my mate may be dead. I forgot one thing, if you will."

He sat absolutely still as she rekindled the connection with only one hand this time, but the memory was quicker to form. _This is the memory my mother shared with me at a time when I was experiencing great conflict._

Rixx was before his eyes, gleaming in light and forest life, even in the city. This time, Spock felt himself in another person's view. _My mother._ "He" opened the door in front of him, only to be met with a furious-looking brunette. "Syami, I told you not to return tonight. Get lost, filth. Go back to those goblins; just know that you are not welcome here. You were born into the Fifth House, daughter of mine, but you are no longer."

Merely closing the door, Spock expected to feel the woman's anger, but did not. Instead, she moved to another room and he waited for what seemed like several hours. It was dusky outside, thousands of stars illuminating the night sky. "He" cautiously left the room, closing the door soundlessly, and sauntered down the slick-floored hallway to the acquainted entrance. Rotating the knob, a loud, erotic moan reached his ears before all sound was deafened. Permitting the memory to lead, Fallon's mother skillfully treaded into the room behind the male and female, both whom were unaware of her presence, lost in a flash of deceptive ecstasy. A fleeting sentiment of infidelity knifed his mind, but afore he could think twice, his hands extended out and clutched the female's neck. The sound reverted back straightaway and with a severe crunch, he recognized her shattered spinal cord. The female was lifeless before she left "his" hands. Scrutinizing up to the man, alarm in his eyes for a heartbeat, sneered effortlessly towards her. "I knew you'd come back to m-.."

He crashed to the flooring with a phaser burn on his forehead, gone. The phaser was set to kill. His eyes flashed black, and then the connection severed, the room coming into sight once more. This time, however, Fallon's hand was still in contact with his cheek.

_My mother's bonded mate, in human terms, 'cheated' on her with her own mother. Due to this, my mother was banished from Betazed and harboured a hatred for several years. One day, I had been upset because of how she treated me. Please do not get me wrong, I was very in tune with my father and favoured the Vulcan way, but she was my mother. If I am to understand correctly, your mother and yourself shared a similar bond. She showed me this memory, deafening the parts of intimacy she had not wished for me to know of yet, and explained her reasoning. In a sense, I want nothing to do with my Betazoid half, but it was easier to merge on Earth._

Yanking her hand away as she realized her contemplations were nomadic, Spock watched her slide her shoes off and set them behind her desk. For an ephemeral second, as if she did not believe that he understood, Anka held up the black locks hiding her ears, beholding an identical set as his. It was unnecessary, for the meld alone gave her grounds. "I will be meditating to cease all connections that the mind meld may have created. I suggest you do the same."

Anka felt unsure as Spock said nothing in return. It was not the correct choice, to share, but she did not wish to lie to him any longer. He would have found out sooner or later and there would have been worse trials to face in overcoming that hurdle, as her mother would have said. She felt terrible about the situation with Bones as well. Them coming by really did not assist in her mood. Although she had been on good terms with him, she was more comfortable with Jim. Either way, it was an inner impulse to question why Uhura would abandon her mate so carelessly. She was attached to Sofek as a friend, but she would never do that in a lifetime of light years. With the general feeling of Spock's mind, she knew for certain that he was unaware of the Lieutenant and CMO's 'relationship'. She heard the door disengage silently, advising her that her visitor was parting her in peace.

* * *

Spock had never known Malik to have a child. It was fascinating to say in the least. However, it was imperative that all surviving Vulcans were documented as he was sure that there were others out there, unable to find their still-living mates and family. _Mates._

Commander Fallon was the mate of Sofek, the very same who had terrorized him for much of his youth. She had gone so far as to express worry over his possible demise in the destruction of their home planet, despite his questionable nature. Pressing his code to enter his personal quarters, Spock allowed Uhura to infiltrate his mind. She had become increasingly distant since their pre-mission shore leave, much more than when they were adjusting to each other. "Commander?"

Pulling himself out of his personal ponderings, Spock looked to the direction from whence he came, only to see Fallon standing there, waiting for him to acknowledge her question. "Yes?"

"May I ask a question of a more personal nature?" Mulling over the possibilities, he gave a short, curt nod to the younger hybrid. He noticed her stiff posture and her eyes not making contact with his own, much as he was sure the female commander had learned when younger. "Is everything well, sir?"

Quirking an eyebrow, Spock moved to give her entrance to his quarters. The last time someone overheard his conversation, many were sure that "whoever" he was "seeing" had "dumped" him, in human terms. Securing the door behind his frame, Spock addressed her. "Fallon, why do you ask such an inquiry?"

Anka furrowed her brow, something quite uncharacteristic for her, but disregarded the fact. Motioning for his hand, she was fearful that if she expressed a single vowel, it would all come flowing out. She noticed Spock eyeing her warily, but did as she asked. Laying the back of her hand to the back of his, she let her mind do the following for her. That method, she could control.

Guilt, embarrassment, anxiety, distress, and anger hit Spock at once, the magnitude shortly overbearing. As quickly as she touched his hand, she removed her own. "I shall ask once more, sir. Are you well with the crew on this starship?"

Doing a Vulcan's equivalent of a double take, he narrowed his eyes at her. "Commander, if there is something that I should be aware of, I am ordering you to inform me. If there is a problem on this ship and someone is triggering such rage inside of you, I will address such matters with the captain in private discourse."

"I apologize for disturbing you even further, Commander. I shall see you on shift tomorrow." Ultimately deciding that the whole evening had been a waste, the feeling of regret swooped in around her. As she left his room, she was aware that the Vulcan was none too pleased but no footsteps followed, indicating that she was in the clear. However, as soon as her own door shut behind her, another knocking could be heard. Swirling around, she pressed the open button. "Spock, I swear, I am do-.. Lieutenant Uhura, to what do I owe th-.."

A loud smack, flesh on flesh, filled the hallway. Occupied with the unnecessary pleasantries, Anka dismissed wondering why she did not feel the woman's robust anger a mile away. However, the darker woman said nothing as she turned away, apparently satiated with her display. Aware of the blood pounding and allowing the bruise to develop, Anka took a few steps behind the lieutenant and pinched her neck. Catching her before she hit the floor, Anka rested her hand on the woman's face, only long enough to get her room number of 530.

It was only down the hall and her override code worked. Her roommate, the Orion, was already asleep in the adjoining section of the room. The officers' quarters were oddly laid out, but the woman did sleep like a Shelat. Touching her hand to Uhura's points once more, she felt the anger at the front of her mind. It always helps ease the guilt of privacy-invading. This way, she didn't have to dig. Sinking into the memory.

_"Computer, locate Commander Spock." Uhura's voice called to the computer in a bored tone. She was tired of hiding everything. She has to hide her relationship with Spock, despite it being common knowledge. She has to hide her business with McCoy FROM Spock and who even kn-_

_"Deck E, Room 527." The computer's voice entered her train of thought as she subconsciously stepped into the turbolift and pressed E. She was not going to get a good night's sleep at all. Then it hit her. Room 527? Galia mentioned the room being empty at first, and then the last officer was supposed to fill…_

_Storming out of the turbolift, she activated the closest computer. "Computer, locate Commander Spock." The words of "Deck E, Room 517." Were mechanically spewed, but it wasn't the end. "Computer, locate Commander Fallon."_

_"Deck E, Room 517."Anger flared inside of the mocha-skinned woman as she turned right and waited, right before turning down the hall. After a few minutes the distinct sound of a door opening and then closing encouraged her into action. Knocking on the first door on the right, she waited. She heard the word "Spock" leave Anka's lips and the anger blinded her._

* * *

_Author's Note: I keep having problems with the page breaks and manual ones. It automatically deletes when I upload and it's frustrating, so I am just going to use the normal ones. Also, I know things are moving fast, but there's a reason for it._


	5. Through All Trials

The hybrid felt her body hum, nerves striking an uncomfortable stiffness that held Anka on edge. She reached the end of the hallway and turned into the entryway leading to the turbolift, dismissing the sight of Spock's door. Keeping her usual steady pace, as to tell her mind that everything was normal, her fingertips pressed the button and the lift opened. Stepping into the blue-hued cylinder, Anka felt the anger wash over her. How dare such a creature touch her in that manner?

It was her anger speaking, that much she knew. Why be so defensive over your mate if you have nothing to hide? Anka bit her lip, relaxing her stance. It wasn't her place. The doors opened to Sickbay and she only witnessed McCoy's presence. Huffing as she stepped in, the doors closed with a _whoosh_ and her patience began. The doctor swiveled to greet whomever had arrived, but only gawked, no doubt at the size of the handprint-shaped bruise on her face. "What the hell happened to you?"

"Your little girlfriend apparently cannot decide whom she wishes to mate with, and I would appreciate it if she would stop toying with a Vulcan's mental processes. It makes all of us look incompetent and wea- OW!" The young commander slapped the doctor's hand away from prodding her cheek further as she hopped up on the bed. His breathing accelerated and began sweating, but it was not profusely. "Quite honestly, I am confused on why she sees me as a threat."

"You are part-Vulcan. It's only natural, Anka, you know that. One Vulcan on board, another comes on of the opposite sex, people will assume they will get it on with each other. We're human. We're programmed that way, just as Jim." Grimacing at the vulgarity of what he was suggesting, she shrugged it off. His guilt was radiating like the Sun on Earth; it was stifling. "If it makes you feel better, I will talk to her. None of this should have happened until she broke it off with him, but I was under the impression she had already. Hell, we hadn't planned on anyone finding out for quite a while anyways. Did Nyota talk to you or just immediately resort to violence?"

Furrowing her brow, she didn't know what to say as the man wiggled his brow at the mention of his mistress. Peering back up at the man, Anka felt warmth enter her mind all the same. "I guess you are right, it must be the race thing. I will have you know, however, that I already have a mate." She couldn't help but break a smile at the mention of Sofek. Despite his rudeness and uncharacter-likeness towards Spock, she cared for him and assumed he had his reasons. "Once I retired from Starfleet, we were going to live on Vulc.."

McCoy noticed the pause in speech. The woman in front of him scanned the floor, clearly still hurt by the loss of her planet. How would he feel if anything happened to Earth, his home planet? The terran planet was the hub for Starfleet and had impeccable defenses, but should something happen? His daughter was still there, along with his godforsaken ex-wife. Despite the mutiny between the two, nothing such as what has befallen Vulcan deserved to replicate. His heart lurched at the thought of attaining the news of the death of his daughter, his angel, his life. "Did he make it off Vulcan?"

"I do not know. When my _pon farr_ hits, I was going to seek him out if I had not found beforehand. As soon as I can get away for a while, it is my top priority." Frowning, she was curious to know about her parents as well. There had been little contact with the survivors on New Vulcan and more pressing matters to attend to than roll call. McCoy stuck her with a hypospray out of the blue. "Dammit, McCoy! I'm not Jim!"

"Yeah, yeah, quit your complaining. It'll numb the pain and if you come back in the morning, I'll have something to reduce the swelling. You hobgoblins have to be double-checked with everything!" The medical officer barked out laughter at the sight of her stunned face. "Get some sleep, Fallon. I will talk to the lieutenant about this, don't you worry."

* * *

Spock opened an eye from his position at his desk, looking over a PADD. A shock of pain rippled through his body, mixed with surprise and fury. Unsure of its origin, though he had his assumptions, it would have been illogical to do anything about such situations. It flooded every corner, nook, and cranny of his being, the rage. His vision was red for several moments before it seeped out of his system, as quickly as it came. He required meditation to break the bond between himself and Commander Fallon desperately. Unwanted sharing was of great concern.

Again, though to a lesser irritation, the aching zipped through his body in what a human would consider "blood running cold". Feeling lightly exasperated with the situation, Spock could visualize the logical notion to seek the commander out and assist her in whatever dilemma she was experiencing. Along with a swift kick to the mind, figuratively speaking, would he remind her to close her mind off. Closing the door behind himself, he walked nearly seventy paces around the circular hall and knocked twice on the commander's quarters. There was no response.

Deciding to check elsewhere and then to return in case she returned, Spock swiftly stepped into the hall and into the already-open turbolift to hit the square for the bridge. Perhaps the commander would be there and was simply experiencing a "headache". Taking a step out of the opening doors, the lift rocketed down behind him as Spock continued to investigate the night shift on the bridge. All was well.

Resisting the urge to become frustrated with Fallon, he waited for the turbolift once more. After several minutes, it warped up as if welcoming him with the soft lighting. Changing squares to Sickbay, the doors opened instantly once more and Spock spotted McCoy hovering over a PADD on one of the beds. "Doctor McCoy, may I have a word with you?"

The doctor in front of him practically paled at the sight of him, sending further confusion towards the young Vulcan. Simply keeping his hands wrapped behind his back, he waited for the man to ground himself before answering the science officer's question. However, the human man was oddly uncomfortable in his presence, something the Vulcan noticed heavily. "Sure, sure."

Spock noticed the man avoiding his gaze, but continued on as he began to observe a reading on the biobed. It had the commander's heartbeat, internal temperature, vital stats, composition measurements, and various other readings that would have mattered in case of any emergency. "I have reason to believe that Commander Fallon was previously in your care. Is this true? May I inquire as to what medical treatment she required?"

McCoy grabbed the PADD quickly and rushed his way past, avoiding direct confrontation with him. For an unknown reason, this resulted in Spock raising an eyebrow at him. "Yeah, yeah, she was here but I sent her back to her quarters just a few moments ago. She turned the corner too fast and face-planted herself into a door. I just gave her a hypospray for the pain."

Spock observed the doctor's back to him and without wasting too much time on the logical pros and cons of his actions, he performed a Vulcan Nerve Pinch. Doctor McCoy fell to his feet, giving Spock access to the PADD. Turning the screen on, he pulled up the commander's file, but the only think that was documented was "bruising". This would not do.

* * *

Anka fell to her bed, putting off the meditation her body required and damn near demanded of her. She had situated her mind little that morning, but it wasn't enough and she was beginning to feel the repercussions of it all. Anka was running on empty and needed to refuel, metaphorically speaking.

Before she became aware, the computer beeped and alerted her of her alarm. It was half an hour before her shift was set to begin and there was no time to waste. Within moments, she was dressed once more in the blue science dress uniform and relaxed her body. Speaking with McCoy had assisted her in feeling better about her emotions and thoughts. The only thing that remained on her mind, however, was her parents and Sofek. Had they made it off Vulcan?

Making her way to the bridge, she gracefully planted her derrière in her panel chair and read the night shift's report: nothing happened. Chekhov's chatter with Sulu escalated as Kirk entered and took his own chair, all three of them discussing an upcoming shore leave that was set to last a mere two days as the Enterprise refueled. Waste of time, waste of time. Anka felt herself slip into tactical mode, eager to taste battle once more. The rush fighting gave a person, whether it was hand-to-hand or via starship.

Out of nowhere, the commander froze as a wave of anger suffocated her. She gripped the panel's edge in front of her, blinking in hopes of shutting such emotion out. Holding her breath, it diminished into nothing but a small fireworks display in the back of her mind. How quaint.

Peeking out of the corner of her eye, she made eye contact with none other than their first officer. However, he appeared to be focused on the apparent imprint of conflict that battled on her façade. Way to make a girl feel pretty, Spock. Just stare at her until she realizes that yes, she's not. Mentally grinning at her joke, Anka pushed all of his anger out of her head and emblazoned into her head the thought of meditating as soon as her shift ended.

Keeping herself tranquil and serene during their four hours, she pushed bits and pieces at him, but all were knocked away. If he wanted to be enraged at nothing, let him be. It was not her problem. Standing up, Anka rotated her wrist to stretch and walked past the fuming Vulcan. Well, he looked normal outside, but her mind continuously felt as if it were nine hundred degrees Kelvin and steadily increasing. Stepping into the turbolift, she was joined by the Vulcan himself and mentally groaned. He raised an eyebrow at her, the mental attack subsiding for the moment. Before she could blink, the lift was stopped and she was slamming against the wall.

Blinking away stars, she felt Spock tighten his grip on her jaw. "Explain."

Perhaps he was furious due to Uhura being upset at her? Did he suspect that Anka had performed damage to force Uhura's actions? What a baby, making a big deal out of nothing. Blinking once more in a futile attempt at clearing her vision, Anka blindly reached up and met his melding points. Mumbling the words out of habit, they came out forced and breathy as she presented him with both her memory and the memory of Uhura's that she had seen. Doing no digging, despite her better judgment, she only played them and quickly thrust him out, eager to stand on her own feet again. The only think that jerked inside her own thoughts was a hatred she could rationalize with. Spock had thought she had given Uhura reason to think she was here for Spock. Jealousy.

Spock said nothing to her but Anka could feel the pressure grow before he yanked away and hit the button with his fist. Watching his eyes stare ahead, she was reminded once more of the human qualities he possessed. The swelling had already begun and Anka could feel along the bottom of her face, and resigned herself to another visit to Sickbay. Perhaps McCoy would have another hypospray for her. Mixing into the crowd on Deck 6, she swooped into Sickbay as Spock stayed in the lift to do what he pleased. She didn't care. "Anka?"

Eyeing McCoy, she watched him only sigh before handing her two hyposprays. He spared a glance at the new already-visible blue markings before pointing to the lift. She needed to meditate, her body was practically begging. Anka could taste the salvation in her tongue, the burning in the back of her throat. Her emotions were overrunning and Anka needed to get out now. Storming into her room, the commander slammed the two hyposprays into her neck and plopped down to begin a lengthy session.

His firm hands on her, using force that no one would have witnessed on regular occasions. The infuriating exhibition proceeding in his mind, parading as if it were celebrating an unknown occurrence. Lips pick as the sunsets on Vulcan, full and begging..

No. No, she needed to meditate and that was that.

* * *

Spock patiently waited outside of Uhura's quarters, fully aware of the fact that her roommate was currently working. He slowly felt the bond between himself and the commander dissipate, her irritation disappearing in a mental wisp of smoke. Nyota said nothing when she opened the door to see him, only silently motioned for him to enter. He did as such in hopes of receiving clearer answers from the lieutenant.

"Lieutenant Uhura, it has been brought to my attention that you possibly feel threatened by the female Vulcan's presence. While Starfleet is aware that there are occurrences of racial ethics in conflict, under Starfleet directive seven hundred and fifty six point three nine, I am hereby authorized to remind you that if you have any problems regarding other members of species on this starship, you are advised to speak to a commanding officer so that the situation may be assisted to." He looked into her brown orbs for a mere second, understanding passing through her mind. "On a more personal level, I believe that your desire for said female Vulcan's Betazoid blood to mix, it would be a direct contradiction to yours and my own relationship and I strongly urge you to rethink your actions towards Commander Fallon. She has the authority to open up a court martial but has not done so, due to high regard towards yourself. With all respect towards yourself, as I do appreciate the gesture, please cease all hostile actions towards Commander Fallon."

The mocha woman merely stood and absorbed his words, not once wavering. Spock noticed that should she cry, she would not do it in front of him. Nodding at him, she parted her lips to speak. Of course she knew the only way of what happened getting out meant, she bended. Spock was aware of the commander even taking care of the lieutenant, going so far as to not leave her simply lying in the hall. "I apologize for my actions and will pass them on to Commander Fallon in a fashionable manner.

With that being said, Spock, we need to talk."

* * *

_Guys, please know that I so not intend for Nyota to be a "bitch" or an inconvenience in any manner. I'm still stuck in TOS, in a way, so it's very difficult to see Spock & Uhura together. Every time I see the movie, I want her and McCoy to be together desperately. It'll make sense. Hopefully. Anyways, I would like to say thank you to [b]kykyxstandler[/b] for the very first review, I really appreciate it! I finally finished my NaNoWriMo (64k words) and forgot to tie up this chapter. I know it's short, but I have to get ready to work Black Friday. Happy Thanksgiving!_

**_November 24th - Fixed the missing sections._**


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